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It's not impossible until a young expert says so

Published 29 November 2017

From
Ian Boyle, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Discussing Sergio Canavero's body-transplant project, Nic Fleming quotes Peter Ellaway, who is emeritus professor of physiology at University College London, saying “in my opinion this will never happen” (28 October, p 39). Without meaning to imply any judgement of my own as to the viability of the plan, I am reminded of the First Law of writer Arthur C. Clarke: “When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.”